1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optimized spring device.
Generally, a spring is a part using the resilient properties of the material or materials, which it is made of, and which comprises at least two opposite points, or areas, to be subjected to external stresses.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
The difficulty in making spring devices using pure biases—in traction and compression—resides in the small displacement allowed by such biases.
One approach of a solution is outlined with so-called “Belleville” conventional washers, where the bias in compression-traction prevails, but in which is present a proportion of the bending in the part that is large enough to make the effectiveness of this type of spring insufficient in some applications.
However, these washers transform small deformations into large displacements, which is looked for in the springs, on the other hand, the distribution without bias in a BELLEVILLE washer is not uniform at all, which is prejudicial for its effectiveness.
Also known are spring devices formed of the assembly of at least two elements having different characteristics, namely rigid elements and resilient elements of the type made of elastomer, or shaped so as to be deformable, where said rigid elements react to a bias through said resilient elements. Such devices are disclosed in WO 2009/030 017, EP 0 132 048, EP 1 930 049 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,791.